January 5, 2010 - Isaiah 12:1-6

Today's passage is so hopeful, so comforting. "Surely God is my salvation; I will trust and will not be afraid, for the Lord God is my strength and my might."

A while back my sister-in-law asked me if I thought Christians had an "easier" time when bad times happened. Was it easier to cope with pain and loss if you were a Christian? For me, of course, the answer is yes. I cannot imagine going through what I'm going through without God at my side and in my heart.

In today's reading, Isaiah acknowledges that even though God was angry with him, still He provided comfort. Even in the midst of troubles, in the center of grief, at the very bottom of the financial pit, God is there to provide hope and comfort and strength.

Where do people who do not have Christ go with their pain and their anguish? Are they left to suffer alone? I believe God is waiting in the wings for those who do not know Him to acknowledge Him. I believe God helps those who don't even know they're being helped. I believe that if you belong to Christ, you are His, even if you don't know it yet. As long as there is life, there is hope, and we can never know what happens to someone in the last few seconds before death. I think it only takes one glimpse of God for us to say, "My Lord and my God!" and to embrace Him.

A very dear friend of mine despairs of one of her relatives ever coming to Christ. I say, where there is life, there is hope, and you may not know this side of Glory whether your loved one made the choice in the very last second of human life. So, despair not, if Christ died for you, then you are His, and nothing can change that.

Blessings to all today....